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Programmes in the Eastern Cape

• Infrastructure programmes
  • Sakha Isizwe Community-Based Transportation Programme
  • Thina Sinako LED Support Programmes
    • Local Competitiveness Fund (LCF)
    • Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)
    • Expanded Public Works Programme
• Agriculture programmes
  • Siyazondla Homestead Food Production
  • Siyakhula Step-Up Commercial Food Production Programme
  • Massive Food Production Programme
  • Siyakhula Massive Food Conditional Grant Programme
  • Infrastructure development
  • Livestock development
  • Biofuel
  • Food processing
  • LandCare
  • Technical support
• Useful Government contact numbers
• Small business support programmes
  • Mdantsane One-Stop Shop
  • Mdantsane Business Service Centre
  • Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC)
• Loan and funding organisations
• Thusong Service Centres

Infrastructure programmes

Sakha Isizwe Community-Based Transportation Programme

This programme aims to create 7 500 jobs in the next year by drawing unemployed people into the transportation industry.

The programme offers:

• Business and technical skills through learnerships
• Savings clubs
• The Household Contractor Programme
• Literacy training and life-skills development.

Contact Sakha Isizwe: 043 604 7402

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Thina Sinako LED Support Programmes

Local Competitiveness Fund (LCF)

This fund gives grants only to partnership groups. A partnership group can be any two or more of the following entities, provided that at least one entity within the partnership is registered in terms of the Companies Act or is a registered cooperative or closed corporation:

• Business enterprises
• Trade unions
• Non-governmental organisations
• Institutions providing services to the economy
• Community trusts and local savings clubs.

A grant can cover up to 70% of the project cost. The balance must be financed from the applicant’s partners or own resources.

Contact the LCF: 040 609-5579

Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)

It supports local government to create an enabling environment for local economic development. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) partnering with local government can apply for funds in the following areas:

• local consultation exercise
• research
• technical assistance
• training
• study tours
• limited capital equipment
• project management tools.

All calls for proposals will be advertised in the local Eastern Cape media and on the website of the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury.

Contact the LGSF: 040 609-5615

Website of Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury: www.ectreasury.gov.za

Expanded Public Works Programme

Infrastructure sector: 040 609 4414
Social sector: 040 609 4414
Economic sector: 040 609 4414
Environment and cultural sector: 040 609 4695

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Agriculture programmes

The Department of Agriculture offers a number of Food Security Programmes. These programmes work
mainly by providing farmers with grants in the form of tools, training and production inputs like seeds.

Siyazondla Homestead Food Production

This programme helps poor households to produce their own food. It provides infrastructure, training, startup inputs, and follow-up support programmes for backyard gardens that are a maximum of 12 X 12 metres in size. The grant provides the most support in the first year, but in the following years continues to provide
support.

The grant provides the following to the maximum value of R2,000 in the first year:

• Starter packs of farming tools like wheel barrows, forks, spades, rakes and watering cans
• Production inputs like seeds, fertilizer, seedlings and insecticides
• Irrigation pipes, garden fencing and water harvesting equipment.

Some of the women in our community started a vegetable farm with help from the Siyazondla Homestead Food Production programme. Now we grow our own food and sell vegetables too.

Siyakhula Step-Up Commercial Food Production Programme

This programme is aimed at farmers who want to farm commercially, i.e. to make a profit. The programme subsidises small-scale farms (farm size between 1 and 50 hectares) through a conditional grant scheme.

Massive Food Production Programme

This programme is for commercial farmers in grain food production (e.g. wheat, maize). It subsidises input supplies, mechanisation, marketing and agro-processing.

Siyakhula Massive Food Conditional Grant Programme

Farmers pay deposits towards the next season’s crop inputs in order to secure support funding from government.

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Infrastructure development

This programme focuses on fences, dip tanks, stock water facilities, irrigation developments, mechanisation equipment and other agricultural infrastructure, focusing on land reform projects and communal farming areas.

Livestock development

The Department of Agriculture offers a ram exchange programme to improve the quality of wool and sheep produced, as well as training to improve quality and
management of cattle, sheep and goats.

Biofuel

This programme helps with the production of biofuel feedstock.

Food processing

This programme provides an accessible local market for excess household garden production.

LandCare

Grants are given to educate and build awareness so as to reverse land degradation.

Technical support

The Department of Agriculture does ongoing research and development to boost agricultural development.

Contact number for all of the above programmes: 0800 203 025
Department of Agriculture: 040 609-3471
Website: http://www.ecprov.gov.za/department.php?index=1

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Useful Government contact numbers

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Small business support programmes

Mdantsane One-Stop Shop

This centre, under the control of Buffalo City Municipality and the Amathole District Municipality, offers a one-stop shop for all business support needs, such as registering your business, skills training, business mentoring, tender training and advice, etc.

Contact: 043 705 9816

Mdantsane Business Service Centre

This centre helps small businesses and co-operatives with every aspect of starting and running a business. It helps with costing and pricing, writing proposals, filling in tender documents, marketing, etc. It will also put people in touch with lending organisations.

Contact: 043 761 2116

Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC)

The ECDC supports businesses in the Eastern Cape through various programmes, such as:

• Craft Industry Development: Training in design, quality control and marketing for craft industries.
• Tourism Training: Training for tour guides, tour board staff, establishment staff and previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs in the tourism industry.
• Wild Coast Community Tourism: Promotion of campsites, guides and accommodation by communities.
• Wild Coast Upgrading Reserves: Upgrading facilities.

Contact: 043 704 5600/06
Website: http://www.ecdc.co.za

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Loan and funding organisations

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Thusong Service Centres

Thusong centres are one-stop government offices and community facilities.

Website: www.thusong.gov.za

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Last modified: 27 August 2008 16:20:42.